Author: Andika Saputra (FOREST GUARDIAN JAMBI)
The Jambi Malay community, in Sumatra, Indonesia, especially the Huluan Malay community, and the Sungai Tenang Clan, are an Indigenous community that is very close to forests, with their own monitoring, decision-making and governance systems. They have been monitoring the forests independently, but they feel that they may need additional support to monitor and manage their forests in the modern world.
They believe in the closeness between humans and the forest, because humans live beside the forest and have a source of livelihood from within the forest itself. Forests also existed and grew before humans existed, so they believe that people are just borrowing (Borrowing from God and the forest existed before humans existed in the universe) forest areas that were previously owned by creatures other than humans. People should take care of the forest as it has been entrusted to them and from it they are given life. As a result, people protect the forest, with an awareness that “when you protect the forest, the forest will provide benefits.” This is a value system that has been passed down from the ancestors. Traditional culture in the area is closely related to forest conservation efforts, especially in the Penghulu area (where the Sungai Tenang Clan live). This is proven by the fact that customary regulations regarding forests are still being implemented. People also still have strong spiritual beliefs, including:
Belief in Mountains
There is a volcano called Mount Masurai, and three hills called Bukit Tongkat, Bukit Sedingin and Bukit Gedang, each of which has a guard called diwo. Diwo will not disturb humans when humans enter the forest with good intentions. If a human gets lost in the forest, the diwo will transform into a black bird that will jump between the branches of the trees and walk on the ground to lead the human to the village.
Trust in the Relationship between Humans and Tigers (Datuk)
As guardians and leaders of life in the forest who value the relationship with the forest, the community believe that if a human meets a tiger and the tiger attacks the human, then the human is guilty because he has entered the territory of the tiger (datuk), and the tiger will not eat or drink for 40 days after meeting the human. Tigers are also a natural indicator or sign for the community, and when a tiger enters a village settlement, this is a sign that a disaster will occur in the village or region, such as disease, land grabbing by outside actors, or others.
Protection of Big Trees
The community protect and believe in big trees that are home to many species and Spirit Creatures. This is shown by the expression “kayu gedang di Tengah padang, batang gedang tempat belindung, daun nan banyak tempat betedoh, aka nan rumpak tempat punyanggo, dahan nan rimbun tempat bugayut” which means “Large wood in the middle of the field, a big tree for shelter, lots of leaves for protection, strong roots for support, thick branches to depend on” in other words, trees provide benefits to humans in many ways. So as good humans, community members are prohibited from cutting down trees without good reasons.
Trust in Rivers
The river has a guardian named Si Bugau. The bugau is a supernatural creature that inhabits every river around the area, which has hair around 3-4 meters long. The bugau does not like rivers that are polluted with trees cut down by humans, rubbish, or other things that pollute it. It is also believed that the bugau will come once a year, and he will sweep away everything in the river, including humans who are active at that time. Cases of humans disappearing in rivers are the work of Si Bugau, and if humans are lost in the river, Si Bugau will return them within 3-4 days after they disappear with no breath (die).
Rules around land clearing
There are also customary rules regarding land clearing for the community, so that people are not allowed to cut down forests carelessly. In this regulation, people are only allowed to clear 2 hectares of land per family for plantation purposes. If somebody requires more than this, they have to go through the Ninik Deliberation (village leadership council) to be given new land clearing regulations.
There are several traditonal forest regulations that people follow today, namely:
- Prohibition of land clearing in water source areas, as this will bring pain and harm to the perpetrators, because water sources have inhabitants other than humans;
- It is prohibited to cut Rimba Penghulu/Rimba Ninik Mamak (forest belonging to the leader), and this forest will only be given to people who have just started families, and even then there are certain limits.
- Prohibition of throwing rubbish and cutting down trees upstream of the river which could make Si Bugau angry
- Land in forest areas is prohibited from being bought and sold to parties outside the village, even if a sale and purchase occurs, the seller and buyer will be summoned by the ninik mamak to make a statement and find the identity of the buyer. This aims to save forests from claims by irresponsible people, prevent intrusions into village areas, and minimize other crimes.
These rules are not stated in a document, but they have been followed by the people for a long time.
Dubalang
A Dubalang (a young traditional leader) is a selected young person who will become an inter-regional diplomat, guard of the Parit diambang Kuto (Village Area) and village territory guard. A Dubalang will be equipped with Lit (knowledge of how to negotiate with other tribes (other clan) or settle as delegates in external meetings), taught to be humble, and equipped with Silek Langkah Empat (the name of silat) which is a martial art studied for one year as a condition for becoming a Dubalang who is ready to lead his members in all situations. Silek Langkah Empat was adopted from the Sumatran Tiger foot movement (Some tricks like scratching, incapacitating, and even killing) which the Dubalang uses to survive in the forest and defend its territory from external threats. A Dubalang cannot attack someone who does not have martial arts knowledge, because a warrior must fight in the Gelanggang (fighting arena).
Challenges for Indigenous Peoples
In terms of defending territory, the Indigenous Peoples have challenges such as:
- Currently Silek Langkah Empat is less popular with young people, so concern for the environment and forests is also reduced. As a result, the dubalang‘s arena (the place to practice and fight) is no longer used by the younger generation for learning.
- Many people live by modern rules and forget the old culture. As a result, there are many rules of life regulated in customary laws that are starting to diminish and may be forgotten in the future.
- Forestry programmes and other activities do not fully involve Indigenous communities, and their belief systems are not always respected, for example performing rituals. For example, concerns such as the existence of companies or corporations with valid permits (legal administration) that do not involve the community and will have a bad impact on forest life, as the community has appreciated rivers, trees, and mountains.
